


Life of a Magizoologist

by Finneganhart



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Love Confessions, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finneganhart/pseuds/Finneganhart
Summary: Bunty loves her life as a magizoologist, but longs for a bit more from her boss Newt. She is surprised to find she must now entertain his house guest while he is away. Will there be trouble or a new found friendship formed? This story can be read alone, or as a sequel to A Scamander Goodbye. It is a semi-complete work, but I will probably add a few more chapters before I feel done with it.
Relationships: Bunty & Tina Goldstein, Tina Goldstein/Theseus Scamander
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

The bright bark of the little crup pierced the air, announcing the owl tapping at the window. “Hush George! I hear it!” Bunty shewed her pet crup away from the door to retrieve the post from a tall owl’s beak. “Stay here George, good boy!” She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her and tore the letter open immediately. 

Dear Bunty,  
I’ve been unexpectedly delayed. Please look after the creatures.  
Newt

“For an author, he sure is a man of few words.” The young red-headed magizoologist thought to herself. She reached into her dress pockets and treated the eager owl that had delivered her post, while tucking the communication into her pocket. She then made her way down the front steps, ready to start her day. 

The weather looked like rain again, but she hoped it would hold out until she reached her destination at 9 Sherringford Square. This was where she worked; in the home of the famous Mr. Scamander. After a short walk she arrived outside the townhouse. An outsider might mistake the young woman as housekeeper, obliged to arrive for another day of completely normal and boring work. In fact she was a woman living her best life, a dream job she could only have hoped for a year ago. No, no one passing by would ever suspect the wonderous sites that lie below in the basement of this completely ordinary home where she was employed. 

And so as it was every day, she let herself quietly in the front door and made her way down to the sanctuary to greet her friends…the most wonderous magical creatures.

“Hello Patrick! And how are we today? Yes, I know I know what you want. Just a moment and you’ll have your pellets then.” 

A loud bellow met her as she made her way down the stairs “I hear you Pinky. I’m coming!” 

She grabbed a pail and began the morning feeding routine, shuffling back and forth between the different feeds and habitats. Eventually she made her way along all of the habitats. At each one she was greeted by a different call, ruffling of feathers, or head-butts of all the creatures who were glad to see her and were just as used to the routine as she. 

And finally she reached the kelpie. She knew she was perfectly capable of handling this majestic beasts, but past interactions had made her feel a bit nervous when approaching him. And nerves are not what you want when handling a kelpie. She tentatively approached the waterline with the pail of feed, holding it out as far from her body as she could. She gave a quick whistle and was instantly met with a huge splash. She forced herself not to flee as the giant beast finally settled down and ducked it’s head into the pail to eat. “That’s a good boy.” She wanted to reach out and pat the beautiful mane, but she didn’t feel he trusted her enough to do this yet. Thankfully the course of nose ointment was finished before Newt left town, or she was sure she would end up mangled by the beast by the time Newt returned. 

She pulled her wand out to dry herself off and headed up to the kitchen for some tea. It was always best to get a break in before starting on the morning medications and especially before cleaning out the habitats (that was sure to be messy). 

She sat down to drink her tea and pulled out the letter that arrived that morning from her pocket again. She gazed down at it with a frown on her face. Her dissatisfaction would be obvious to anyone if they had ever been around when she was in the presence of her boss (except her boss of course). She was completely smitten with him. And he was completely… oblivious. She thought back to their first meeting as she looked at the note in her hand…

Before she had approached him at the book signing last year she had imagined their meeting dozens of times. She imagined they would instantly fall into a long conversation about their love of magical creatures. She had eagerly read his book 2 times the week it came out and she just knew they were meant to be together. 

Of course, she had heard of the great Newt Scamander from the rumors and stories shared between students at Hogwarts. She had just missed meeting him since he left the wizarding school the year she started. He didn’t know it, but these tales inspired her to pursue the same passion. 

And so when she entered the queue to meet him, she knew this was it…destiny. She imagined how he would sound and that he would surely be handsome and a confident speaker. After they met he would probably ask to see her again. And then he’d ask to court her…and then marry. They would probably go on more exotic excursions to find more beasts and she would help him with his next book! 

And yet, it was not so. When she finally arrived at the head of the line he barely looked up from behind the table where he was seated. Another man sat next to him, presumably his agent who was doing most of the talking. “Who might we make this one out to then?” Bunty was disappointed, but equally determined. “My name is Bunty…I…uh…I am also a magizoologist Mr. Scamander.” Finally he looked up with a look of interest. 

“Ah, very nice to meet you Miss….”

“Bunty!” she added, smiling. 

She forced her book into his hands and he made a quick illegible scribble in the front of her book. As she reached to take it back from him she gave a lingering smile. He hadn’t noticed and looked back down. She paused before turning to leave. The other man interjected, “Good day miss.” She frowned and finally turned to leave. 

“Ummm, wait miss!” Bunty turned back expectantly toward him, and replied “yes?” 

“You wouldn’t be in a need of a job would you?” he politely inquired. 

“A job?” This was not what she was expecting.

“Um.” At the moment she wasn’t sure if she was in need of a job. A job. A job. What’s a job?

“Oh, well… YES actually!” It wasn’t entirely untrue. She was indeed in need of a dream job working with the most amazing magizoologist in the world. She wasn’t exactly unemployed though. She had been working with the owlery service the last two years, keeping the Ministry’s owls in tip top shape. What’s a little white lie though? 

“Well, excellent!” Newt smiled for the first time all day. “Could you start next week? With all of my other engagements, I’m in need of an extra set of hands these days to care for my creatures. I can pay you fairly, but the hours might be odd depending on the beasts’ needs of course.” 

“OF COURSE!” she nodded enthusiastically. Her mind was a bit frantic as she was quickly trying to think of how she could start and still give a two week notice at the post. 

“The address is 9 Sherringford Square. 9 AM Monday okay?”

“GREAT….yes…thank you….thank you Mr. Scamander!”

She turned and rushed out the door before he could change his mind. It wasn’t until that night that her excitement was dampened when she remembered her signed book. She took it out, knowing that he had probably written the most amazing entry just for her. Her hopes were dashed when she read it:

Keep up the good work Bunty.  
All the best,  
Newt

As she finished her tea, Bunty’s thoughts returned to the work at hand. She got up to return to the basement, musing to herself: He’d probably say the same exact thing today, wouldn’t he? “Keep up the good work Bunty.” 

“Alright, well let’s get on with it then.” she thought to herself. 

After a long day, she finished up the rest of her responsibilities and made the journey back home to George. “Hello George! I’m home. Did you miss me?” 

The crup barked with excitement upon her return (it didn’t take much to get him jumping with joy). 

“Alright then, at least somebody missed me. Let’s get you some dinner then, shall we…”

He followed after his favorite witch as they settled in for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theseus escorts Tina to Newt's place to stay for awhile. He leaves her there and lets her know that he has an assistant to help with the creatures. She is curious to meet this assistant.

As the sun poked it’s head over the trees, two witches apparated into the alleyway near 9 Sherringford Square. The tall, dapper, red-headed wizard led the way, as an equally tall brunette witch followed him around the corner and up the stairs of the townhouse. 

“Aberto.” The door unlocked before the tall wizard. “This way.” He ushered in the exhausted looking witch. 

“I’m sure you’ll find clean accommodations here. I daresay my brother hardly spends any time in this part of the house.” 

“Are you sure he would be okay with this?” She implored. She agreed to stay in London, but hadn’t really imagined what that might entail when she had said it. 

“Oh yes, I’m sure Newt wouldn’t mind. He clearly is keen on you.” Theseus quickly took in the home, eager to be on his way. 

Tina blushed at his last comment. “Well if you’re sure.”

“Oh, yes.” He nodded. “And I believe he’s hired some sort of assistant to manage the beasts, so no need to worry there. They are probably already down there now.” 

“The beasts?” she looked around for any sign of Newt’s creatures. 

“Ah yes, they are stored below.” He motioned to a door in the hall they had passed already.

“I see.” She replied curtly. 

“I’m sure it’s safe. If it’s a problem I can inquire at the ministry on some sort of other accommodation.”

“No! No, I’m sure I’ll be fine here. Thank you.” She dreaded the thought of anymore traveling after the last non-stop journey that brought her here to Newt’s house. 

“Well the bedroom is down the hall. Bath is there on the left. Shop’s just down the street. I’ll come get you Monday morning at 8:30 so we can get started at the Ministry.”

She hadn’t really thought of what it would be like working with Newt’s brother. She felt incredibly awkward at the thought. Their first meeting really didn’t help get their relationship off to a good start. 

“Yes, that’s fine…and I’m really sorry Theseus…” she trailed off. 

He misunderstood her apology. “No need for pity. I don’t take it well.” 

She quickly inferred his meaning. “Oh. No, I meant… about the curse before.”

He smiled at the memory. At this point he found it laughable compared to the other events of yesterday. “Ah, yes. Well no matter.”

Tina scowled, embarrassed by her careless comment. “And Theseus. I am sorry…about Leta.” 

He held back his pain. “Did you know her?” 

Tina lowered her head. “Only for a moment, but I know she was very special.”

He agreed, “Yes. well….I best be off Miss Goldstein.”

Tina was beating herself up inside even more now as he turned to leave. 

“And Miss Goldstein…thank you.”

She looked up and saw the tears in his eyes as he thanked her. She gave him a sympathetic nod as he shut the door, leaving her alone in the dark house. 

Tina stood in the kitchen quietly, unsure of what her next step should be. She was exhausted, but decided she better orient herself with the rest of the house. She walked down the hall and saw the bathroom was pristine. Next she made her way back out to the sitting room, there with the dining table. She took a few minutes to note the various objects on display. It was clearly the home of a bachelor; mostly sparse with very few trinkets or pictures on display. She came across a small picture of a family with two small boys. One was smirking at the camera non-stop and Tina instantly recognized him as a young Theseus Scamander. The other appeared bashful and was fiddling with his jacket as the mother appeared to elbow him to standup straight. This was clearly the younger Mr. Scamander as a boy. Tina picked up the picture for a moment to stare into the childhood eyes of Newt. She watched as he peeked up at the camera just like she had seen him do on a number of occasions. She gently placed the pictured down before proceeding onto the bedroom. 

She decided Theseus was right that Newt likely didn’t spend much time here. The bed was made and everything in the drawers and closets was perfectly tidy. She felt like she was snooping as she acquainted herself with the room. She really didn’t intend to snoop. She simply needed a lay of the land if she was to live here for a while. She was probably going to need a drawer or two for her own personal effects (which were stored neatly in her coat pocket, where she had placed a small extension spell that allowed her to carry the basics). 

Before lying down to rest, she decided to satisfy the one curiosity lurking in the back of her mind: the beasts. She decided a quick peek inside the door in the hall would be enough to let her rest, knowing everything was safe. Perhaps she could say a quick hello to his assistant and let them know she would be staying here. And so she cracked open the door…


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina and Bunty finally meet.

Tina made her way down the steps of Newt’s basement, calling out for his assistant as she proceeded with caution. “Hello? Anyone there?” The pathway was longer than she expected. She had been in his case before, and was imagining a similar scale for his animal habitat here. She was blown away when she descended further and quickly discovered an enormous world below. She was quickly met by Patrick the augrey who greeted her with a sideways look as if to say “who are you?” She smiled at the giant bird and introduced herself “hello there. I’m Tina. I’m a friend of your mum.” 

Amazed by the beauty she proceeded down the passageway. “Hello? Anyone there” She never heard the front door open over all the animal’s happy sounds. Some scurried away from her as she proceeded, while others bellowed out to their new guest, hoping she came baring gifts of food. She stopped to admire the different flora growing all around. She was too preoccupied to hear the steps approach until they were right behind her. 

“Umm, hello? Who are…”  
“Stu…” Tina cut her spell short as she lowered her wand. 

She wasn’t sure what to think as she found herself standing before a small red-headed woman with her hair piled into two buns atop her head. 

“Hi. I’m so sorry. I’m Tina. I’m just looking for Mr. Scamander’s assistant. Is he here?”

Bunty stared at Tina wide eyed before finally exclaiming, “it’s you!”

“I’m sorry?” 

“I see now, It’s no wonder!” Bunty continued to prattle on. “Well it’s so nice to finally meet you…”

“Tina”, she shyly finished her sentence for her, still not understanding the red-headed woman completely. 

“Yes! Tina. Wow.” Bunty kept nodding and suddenly exclaimed, “Where are my manners? I’m sorry. I am Bunty…Newt’s assistant.”

“Oh. I see.” Tina turned a shade of red, embarrassed and mad at herself for assuming his assistant to be a man. 

“Nice to meet you, Bunty.” She recovered and thrust out her hand at the young woman. 

“Oh, better not! Just finished cleaning out Albert’s den.” She held up her hands to show the slimy, unidentifiable substance covering her hands. 

Tina laughed at this, amused by how much she suddenly reminded her of Newt. “Right. No problem.” 

“So where is the ol’ boss? Still upstairs?” She questioned Tina as she wiped her hands on her apron. 

“No. Sorry. I’m alone. There’s been…well, that is to say…he is occupied at the moment. I’m not sure when to expect him back actually.” 

Tina wasn’t sure how much to share with his assistant. She had the feeling he wouldn’t just hire anyone to help with his creatures and that she was probably completely trustworthy. However, the auror in her knew it was best to keep her words concise for now.

“I see.” Bunty looked at her quizzically. “Well did he need me for something? You said you were looking for me. I haven’t heard from him since he left suddenly the other night.”

“No, I just wanted to let you know I will be staying here for a bit until he returns.”

Suddenly Bunty was feeling a bit like an intruder in her own workplace. She became much more matter fact suddenly. “Oh, then I suppose I should make my way out then. I just need to finish up with the Kelpie and I can be out of your hair.” She made to go around Tina. 

Tina could see she had upset her somehow. “No, wait. Please don’t leave on my account. I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here. I was actually just going to lie down for a short nap so I’ll get of your way so you can work.” 

Tina gazed around at the basement for a moment. “You know, It really is nice to meet a friend of Newt’s. I think this is all so amazing here. I hope you won’t mind to show me around at some point.” 

Bunty stared at her with her mouth open, unsure how to manage this conversation any longer. On one hand she had spent weeks secretly loathing this statuesque witch for stealing her boss’s affections (ever since she caught him staring at a picture of her from the Daily Prophet and had to investigate further). And on the other hand now that she was in front of her she also felt a strong urge to befriend her and give her a tour of the basement and all the creatures. She stood there torn until she gave into her last thought. “I can show you now!” 

Tina smiled back at her, “Oh I couldn’t. It’s been a long couple of days and I’m desperate to go lie down for a bit.” 

Bunty saw a flash of sadness in Tina’s eyes even though she was smiling. Bunty thought she looked as if she needed a hug but decided against it since this would likely not be welcome while covered in Nundu excrement. She decided to take another approach. “Let me show you the upstairs then. Just give me a minute.” She ran down the stairs and quickly removed the dirty apron. She once again pulled out her wand to clean her dress as she bounced back up the stairs to Tina. “Off we go!” She grabbed her arm and whisked her back upstairs. 

“Here we are. You can rest here. I don’t think Newt even knows where this room is to be honest.” She led the way into Newt’s bedroom, looking up to search the taller witch’s face for more information. A sadness was clearly still there, but she didn’t dare ask what was wrong. Being a helper, she could only think of how she might make her feel better. She pulled the curtain’s shut to shut out the sun and asked “Can I make you some tea?”

“Bunty that’s quite alright. I’m fine. ” She made her way to the bed as Bunty stopped at the door. “You sure I can’t get you anything else?” The kind witch reminded her suddenly of her sister, always trying to mother her. She buried this thought away so she would not start crying. Tensing up she replied, “Thank you, but no. I just need to sleep for a bit.” 

At this point it looked as if Tina might fall over and Bunty decided not to push too hard. 

“Alright, well can I at least make you dinner?” 

“I would love that.” Tina smiled once more as Bunty nodded. 

“It’s settled then. You have a rest and I will be back this evening to fix up something. Just a warning I’m not a great cook though!”

Tina laughed, “Neither am I to be honest. I will just be glad for the company. Thank you.” 

Bunty shut the door leaving her alone again. She laughed again, replaying her meeting with Newt’s quirky assistant. It was impossible not to like her so any jealous Tina might have had dissipated. She proceeded to fish out her personal items from her coat pocket, change into her pajamas, and paused before climbing into Newt’s bed. She reminded herself that no one seemed to think he actually slept here and therefore it shouldn’t feel intimate in the least. 

“It is practically a guest room!”, she thought to herself. 

And yet, as she pulled the covers over herself and settled into the pillow her she was overwhelmed by the idea of Newt’s presence and his familiar scent. As she drifted off, her thoughts were filled with a memory of intense green eyes, numerous freckles, and soft lips. She felt herself blushing in the dark as she finally succumbed to a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina and Bunty learn a bit more about each other over dinner.

KNOCK, knock, knock. 

A gentle knocking woke Tina from a hazy sleep. She was very disoriented when she finally opened her eyes. What time was it? What day was it? Where was she? 

It all came flooding back as Bunty cracked open the bedroom door. “Tina, I hate to disturb you, but dinner is ready.” 

“Oh. Yes. No problem. I’m coming. I just need to change.” 

“Don’t bother on my account. I don’t stand on formality. You can come in pajamas if you like. It will be bedtime again soon anyways.” She opened the door the rest of the way as Tina climbed out of bed. 

“What time is it?” She couldn’t place the time with the curtains drawn.

“Oh I think it’s about 7:30 now.”

She followed the redheaded with down the stairs to the dining room where she had already set the table with a couple of plates and a covered dish in the middle of the table. Bunty uncovered it as she announced, “Nothing fancy, just a stew. I hope that is suitable.”

Tina who wasn’t too picky on any occasion thought it looked delicious. “Oh yes.” She smiled with her eyes. That both sat down and began filling their plates. 

“So an American auror? That sounds adventurous. You must tell me what that’s like.” 

Tina, who on a good day was still pretty private had not prepared herself for small chat, especially not the kind that involved her sharing about herself. “Oh you know…just the usual. I’m sure just a boring as the aurors you have here in London.”

Tina didn’t really believe her job was boring. Neither did Bunty, who looked at her and seemed to comprehend that Tina intended to be as open as a clam shell. She was growing more curious about the circumstances that brought her here in the first place. 

Tina tried to change the subject, “What about you? You must have lots of interesting stories working with all those creatures. You and Newt must have the most interesting lives here! How did you meet anyways?” She didn’t mean to sound so patronizing because she actually meant what she said. 

Bunty had no qualms sharing about herself and began to recoun her previous work as a magizoologist, working for the owl post, her professional admiration for Newt, reading his book, and the events that led to her being hired. She of course left out the fanciful dreams she had surrounding herself and Newt. 

As she spoke about Newt, Tina couldn’t help but think that this witch was more suited for him. It just made more sense. He had made his thoughts clear about aurors in his letters and here was a perfectly pretty witch that loved magical creatures as much as he did. She was not accustomed to the sting of jealousy as she had never really dated or even allowed herself to entertain the notion of romance before. Despite her age, she felt like she was turning into a school girl back at Ilvermorny.

It took Bunty clearing her throat to snap her out of her revelry. “Everything okay?” 

“Oh yes. Sorry. I’m still half asleep. It sounds like you and Newt have so much in common. You two must be close.” She did it again. She was internally bereding herself for acting like this. It’s not as if she and Newt were truly in a relationship. If anything they were ships passing in the night. 

Bunty was clever enough to understand the question. And it was a spot of contention for the witch who’s feelings were not reciprocated by her boss. She wasn’t mad at Tina for asking about their relationship. She actually felt better that she would even guess at the nature of their relationship. Although, now that she was asking she assumed that Newt and Tina must not be as close as she had thought either. “Not so close. We often work opposite schedules so that someone is with the creature most of the time. Of course the whole schedule is thrown off now that it’s just me taking care of them.” 

Tina hadn’t even considered how much work she must have to do with all those creatures. And here she was making her work more by making her dinner. “Can I help you at all? I know I’m just an auror, but perhaps you could teach me? ” 

Bunty stared at her for the second time that day. “You want to help me?” 

“Sure!” Tina agreed. “I can’t imagine how much work you have. And I really can’t say when Newt will return. You can’t keep doing it all by yourself. It will be team work!” 

Bunty wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Many of the creatures could be dangerous if not handled appropriately. Then again, she is an auror and used to danger. “Maybe.”

“It’s settled then!” Tina took her answer as a yes. “Maybe after dinner you can show me a thing or two?”

Bunty smiled back, still not sure about this arrangement. She finally gave in, “Alright, I guess I could use help with a few things.” 

They finished eating in silence. Tina used her wand to clear the table as Bunty started on the dishes. “Let me help with those too!” Tina pleaded. She grabbed a towel and dried the dishes by hand. She was definitely using chores to avoid having to think about the events of the last few days. Bunty looked over at her curiously as she handed her the last dish. She couldn’t figure out why this American witch was suddenly staying here? She was clearly not willing to share much about herself, but yet so eager to help her do her job? Something was up. 

“Are you okay Tina?” Bunty asked bluntly. 

She was not ready for this question, especially not from a not-so-stranger. So she glanced down at her feet quickly and tried to cover her gut reaction to this question. 

“What do you mean? I’m fine.” 

“You don’t seem fine. I don’t know you, but I get the feeling something terrible has happened and you are afraid to tell me. Is Newt okay?” 

The tears Tina had been stifling since last night were threatening to appear. “Newt? No, he’s fine. He’s with Dumbledore.” 

This was the first real information she had shared all day. “Dumbledore? Has something happened at Hogwarts?” she questioned. She walked back to her chair at the table as she finally decided to fill her in on the events of the last 2 days. 

“No. Hogwarts is fine. We were in France. And Grindewald…”

Bunty looked up in fear when she mentioned this name. “Grindewald?” 

“Yes. He was recruiting more followers and when the ministry arrived…”

“The ministry was in France too?”

“Yes. They were tracking…well it’s a long story, but they arrived and chaos broke out. People died, there was an enormous fire.” 

Bunty listened, trying to understand the events that she described. “Did any of our own die?” she gently inquired. 

Tina hadn’t considered the British auror’s as her “own” until that moment. “Yes, some aurors…Leta Lestrange.” 

Bunty looked at her in disbelief. She knew Newt was close with the famous Leta, his soon to be sister-in-law. She had never met her though. “That can’t be.”

“I’m afraid so.” Tina assumed she knew her and was gentle to tell her. “Were you close?”

Bunty looked up, “No, but I know Newt was. Did you know her also?”

Tina shook her head. “No, I met her briefly, but no.”

Bunty placed her hand on Tina’s arm to comfort her. “That must have been awful. I’m glad you’re safe. No wonder you are upset.”

Tina burst out in an uncontrollable sob that startled Bunty.

“It’s not that. I mean that was all terrible, but it’s my sister.”  
“Your sister?” Bunty questioned. 

“Yes, she joined him.” 

“Joined who?” She didn’t quite understand. 

“Grindewald!” Tina exclaimed.

“I don’t know why she would do something like that. I don’t even know why she was in France. One minute we were arguing in New York about her marrying a no-maj…muggle I mean. And the next thing I know she’s in Paris siding with the darkest wizard of all time! It’s my job to protect her and she just…” 

Tina covered her face in embarrassment as the tears still flowed. Bunty jumped up to comfort her. 

“I’m sorry. You’ve been so nice and here I am burdening you with this. I feel foolish.”

“Not at all!” Bunty assured her. “I know we’ve just met, but I feel like I know you! Newt would certainly want me to be here for you!”

Tina looked up at her curiously. Something in the way she spoke of Newt stood out to her. “You love him too, don’t you?” She said it with an empathetic tone, but was afraid Bunty would find it accusatory.

The question took Bunty off guard. “I…I don’t know. I don’t think it would matter because I’m pretty sure he’s never noticed, not to mention he’s smitten with you.” 

Tina was not used to being on this side of a conversation like this. She had seen men go after her sister countless times, including ones she thought might fancy her. Never had she been the woman that another woman envied. It made her uncomfortable and she decided it was a good time to study her feet. 

Bunty noticed and reassured her. “It’s okay. I tried not to like you, but I’ve decided that’s impossible.”

Tina looked up at her and smiled. “I like you too.” Then she added, “You remind me of my sister.” 

Bunty smiled and noticed the pain in the other witch’s eyes as she said it. 

“Well, let’s be friends then!” 

“Alright then. Just like that huh?”

“Yes! Why not?” She said cheerfully. “Did you still want to help me with caring for all the creatures?”

“Absolutely!” Tina replied. 

“Well, I don’t have much to do tonight, other than check in on everyone and tuck the occamy’s in. You can help me with that and then tomorrow morning you can start your real training!” 

“Oh, I love the occamys.” Tina exclaimed. 

“You’re familiar with them then?” Bunty asked. 

“You could say that.” Tina replied. 

Both women descended the stairs into the basement as Tina recounted her first encounter with a giant occamy and a teapot back in New York. Laughter from both women echoed from the basement as night fell.


End file.
